Bottle cap



May 14, 1929. 1 K. BECKER BOTTLE CAP Fi led Oct. 1, 1928 Patented May 14, 1929.

NI ED STATES w 1,713,3z1 PATENT OFFICE.-

mr:: x, amm or CIlEVELAND, onIo, ssmnon or FORTY-FIVE ONE-EUR'- DBEDTES 'ro IBEB'I' M. xENT, OF CLEVELND, onto.

BOTTLE CAP. l

Application filed October 15 1928.' Serial No. 309525.

This invention 'relates to closures for.containers, and more particularly to caps for milk bottles, etc.

It is one of the ob'ects of the invention to provide a simple orm of cap that will be sanitary and of relatively low cost and, at the same time, possess 'advantages 'over existing closures that will meet the demands of the trade. v v

It' is a further. object of the invention to provide a Cap that will have valves or gates therein that may be readily opened to permit pouring oa of the contents of the container and that will also be adapted to be closed after having been opened.

A further object of the invention is to provide a cap with an integral tab that may be conveniently turned into position to be used ,as such for 'the purpose of-detaching the cap from the container.

Other objects of the invention and the features of novelty will be apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying 'drawings, of

2 which: 1

Fig. 1 is a longitudinal section through an ordinary milk bottle having a closure, embodying my invention, apphed thereto; Fig. 2 is a plan view of the closure or cap shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a' section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1, with one of the valves ortabs turned' into a position permitting it to be used for the purpose of detaching the cap from' the bottle; n v

Fig. 4 is a section on the line 4:-4 of Fig. 2; and v v FFig. 5 'is a section on the line 5-5 of ig. 3. Referring to the drawings, 10 indicates a container which, in the present instance, is illustrated as an ordinary milk or crcam bottle. It is Common practice to use enclosures for milk or oream bottles which con'- sist of a disk of heavy paper that is pressed into a suitable recess or counterbore 11, at the top of the bottle, so as to be removably secured therein. In practicing the present in vention, in connection with paper caps for 50 milk bottles and the like, I provide a paper disk 12 which may be manufactured from the usual grade of aper stock from which bottle caps' have eretofore' been made. In most cases, the ca s heretofore used have consisted simply o a paper disk and it has are indicated at 17 and 18 and are arranged to entirely remove the cap. e removal of the ca has usually beenvby the use of an ice pic fork or other ointed instrument which has been forced into the cap sufiiciently to enable the cap to be lifted out of the recess 11. This Operation usually mutllates the 'cap to such an extent that it is no longer serviceable, and various improvements have been suggested from time to time to overcome thisdisadvantage of the plain disk. In the present instance, I overcome the disadvantages of the plain disk and provide a cap having many novel advantages, without materially increasing the cost over the cost of a plain disk, by forming one Or more tabs or valves in a manner which willnow be described.

Referring to Fig. 2, 13 indicatcs a substantially semi-circular cut which preferably extends completely through the paper stock. The' ends of the cut 13 are indicated at 14 and 15. At' 16 there is shown another substantially semi-circular cut, the ends of which between and spaced a substantial distance away from the ends 14 and 15 alonga line a-a which I- will, for convenience, designate a base-line. The cut 13 forms a tab, the base of which is along the line w-a, and the cut 16 forms a narrower tab, the base of which is also along the line (lr-a so that the tab formed by the cut-16 may be said to be an extension of the tab, formed by the cut 13, on the opposite side of the base-line a -a.

The wider tab formed by the cut 13 is left integrally connected with the body of the cap Or closure by the stock that is between the points 14 and 18 and the points 15 and 17, and these integral connections serve as hinges On which the tabs may be swung to the position indicated at 19 in Fig. 3. In moving the tabs to the position' shown at 19, the wider tab formed by the cut 13 is pressed downwardly so that it will be swung into the container, whereas the narrow tab formed by the cut 16 will be on the outside.

When the tabs are moved to the position. indicated at 19 in Fig. 3, an opening is lol formed through the cap which permits the contents of the container .to be poured ofi and, in the case of a milk bottle, the arrangementfis such that it provides a very convenient way for pouring the cream ofi the milk and, at the same time, retaining the milk in the' bottle. In order to form a Vent that Will admit air to the bottle as the contents are being poured out, another valve or pair of tabs is formed at 20 by means of cuts 21 and 22, the arrangement being preferably a duplicate of that previously described. This valve or pair of tabs is shown, in the open position, at 23 in Fig. 4. As Will be seen from Fig. 4, When the valves or tabs are in the open position, the parts above referred to as forming the hinges are bent, as indicated at 24, and since the narrower tabs are on the outside, either ofthem may be seized by one s fingers for the purpose of lifting the cap out of the bottle, and the paper stock Which forms the hinges, as Will also be seen from Fig. 4, Will be subjected to compression and not to tension. Since the paper stock has much greater compression Strength than tensile Strength; it will be evident that the relatively narrow hinges Will have ample Strength to Withstand Whatever stresses it is necessary to subject them to in order to pull the cap out of the bottle.

In manufacturing the caps, all of the cuts above referred to may be made simultaneously in a suitable stamping press and it Will be preferable to form the cuts at the time that the caps are blanked out of the sheet of paper stock from Which they are made. Of Course, the cuts Will constitute' small openings through the caps, but the resiliency of the paper stock tcnds to make these cuts self-closing. In addition to this, it is customary to coat milk bottle caps With paraffin, and, in the present case, the paraffin Will seal the cuts so that the caps Will be leakproof and sealed in a sanitary manner When ready for use.

From the foregoing, it Will be evident that I have provided a form of closure having many novel advantages and Which may nevertheless be manufactured at a cost that is not appreciably greater than that of a plain disk. The manufacture of the caps does not involve any additionaLlabor over that required in the manuiacture of plain disks because the cuts in my cap may be formed simultaneously With the other essential Operations.

Having thus described my invention, ii claim: u

1. A container closure provided With a cut Which forms a tab that is spaced from the periphery of the closure, and a second aai the ends of the first cut and spaced therefrom to form hinges by which said tab is connected With the body of the closure and Which extend in the direction of a straight line connecting the ends of the first cut, said second cut being shaped to form an extension on said tab On the opposite side of said straight line.

3. A container closure provided With a cut Which forms a tab that is spaced from the periphery of the closure, and a second cut the ends of Which are spaced from the ends of the first cut longitudinally of a line conne;tmg the ends of the first cut, said second cut being shaped to form an extension on said tab On the opposite side of said line.

4. A container closure provided With tvvo separate cuts spaced from the periphery of the closure, said cuts being shaped to Outline tabs Which project in opposite directions from a common base line, the base of one of said tabs being Wider than the other and integrally connected With the body of the clsure on opposite sides of the narrower ta 5.- A container closure provided With an opening spaced from the margin of the c1osure .and a member normally closing said opening and attached to the closure by two hinges located intermediate the ends of the member and With their axis extending transversely of the member, said opening adjacent said aXis being Wider on One side of the axis than on the Other.

6. A container closure provided With an opening spaced from the margin of the closure and a member integral therevvith normally closing said opening and attached to the closure by tWo aligned hinges located intermediate the ends of the member and With their axis extending transversely of the member so that said-member adjacent said axis is Wider on One side thercof than on the other.

In testimony Whereof, I hereunto ax my signature.

RALPH K. BECKER. y 

